This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the presently described embodiments. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the described embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light and not as admissions of prior art.
During well drilling operations, gravity can cause deposits of drill cuttings to build up along the bottom surface, the sidewalls and/or the annulus of a wellbore. Often, the buildup of such deposits can lead to friction inside of the wellbore and malfunctioning of a drillstring or other downhole machinery located within the wellbore. Wellbore or hole-cleaning techniques may be implemented to remove the drilling cuttings and any types of debris from the wellbore, including debris adhering to the inside of a well casing. The wellbore cleaning techniques can also remove and recover drilling mud, limit wellbore formation damage and prepare the well for equipment installation, among other actions.
A variety of methods to optimize performance of wellbore cleaning, or the drill rate performance, may be implemented during drilling operations. In some cases, different drilling parameters may be adjusted, such as the rotational speed, the fluid flow rate, and the fluid properties, to ensure substantial wellbore cleaning. The rate of penetration (ROP) may also be adjusted, for instance, by increasing or decreasing the ROP to achieve a ROP indicative of optimized wellbore cleaning. Typically, the level of performance for the wellbore cleaning is based on the degree of change in the rate of ROP (i.e., the change between the original ROP and the adjusted ROP), which is manually or iteratively determined. However, inadequate wellbore cleaning due to inaccurate determinations of the degree of change can lead to various drilling complications including formation fracturing, difficulties in logging and cementing, and excessive torque and drag on drilling equipment, among other issues.